The present invention relates to an electronic camera and, more particularly, to an electronic camera for reconstructing an image file, outputting it to a printer for printing it.
In recent years, electronic cameras for electrically recording an optical image of a subject by converting the image into an electrical signal using the photoelectric conversion action of a semiconductor represented by silicon have practically been used instead of so-called silver salt cameras for recording an image on a film using the chemical photosensitive action of silver halide. Of such electronic cameras, so-called digital cameras for digitally recording an electrical signal are becoming a major stream.
In such a digital electronic camera, image information of a subject is digitally recorded on a recording medium fixedly or detachably mounted on the camera body. The recorded image data is transferred to a general-purpose personal computer (to be referred to as a PC hereinafter) by cable connection, radio (in many cases, infrared ray) communication, or the like via a data communication port formed at a proper portion of the camera body.
When the recording medium can be detached, data can also be transferred by removing the recording medium (in many cases, formed in a card shape) from the camera and reading data from the recording medium using a proper data reader (drive).
In the PC, the transferred image data is freely displayed on the display, processed (edited), saved, or printed out using a printer connected to the PC.
Since the electronic camera has a function as an image input device to the PC, image data is generally treated as a file similarly to the PC. One still image typically corresponds to one file.
In the electronic camera, the image data is accompanied with attendant data. The most typical attendant data is data related to the image-pickup date and time for the image data (also referred to as date data or xe2x80x9cdatexe2x80x9d). The date data is recorded using a timepiece function incorporated in the camera.
In a conventional silver salt camera (at least before the advent of a recent advanced photo system), the date can only be technically recorded by superimposing the date as an image (character pattern) on a film. For this reason, a xe2x80x9cdate-imprinted photographxe2x80x9d in which the date is superimposed as a character at one corner of the photograph is very popular. Whether the date character is superimposed is inevitably determined in photographing (film exposure), and cannot be changed after that.
To the contrary, in the electronic camera, since the image itself is digitized, as described above, the date and time can be recorded without superimposing them on image data by adding digital data about date information as attendant data to image data and processing these data as one image file. Accordingly, whether the date character is superimposed on the image can be arbitrarily selected in display or printing, and the date data can be used to manage the image in a reconstruction device (e.g., the camera itself or the PC).
In an actual camera, if necessary, various image-pickup data, e.g., the frame number, so-called comment data as recording contents arbitrarily input by the camera operator, data about the image quality such as the number of pixels and the compression ratio, exposure data such as the shutter speed, the f-number, and the electronic flash, lens data such as the subject distance, the lens focal length, and macro image pickup, data about the white balance and the light source, and image-pickup mode data such as the self-timer and a set of series pictures or a set of related pictures are employed as attendant date in addition to the date data.
In an electronic camera using a conventional general PC, when such attendant data is to be displayed or printed, how to display or print the data can be freely optimized in software in use. That is, since the display window area of the general PC has a sufficient resolution and a wide area, a plurality of images can be simultaneously displayed, and the print mode and the operation menu can be simultaneously displayed in a space other than the images.
Recently, in addition to PC users, general users have also demanded electronic cameras, and an apparatus (to be referred to as a direct print apparatus hereinafter) for printing an image by connecting the camera and the printer directly via a cable or radio communication without any PC is receiving a great deal of attention. In an electronic camera having this function, the image display is only a display incorporated in the electronic camera body. The major stream of the image display incorporated in the electronic camera body is a 2xe2x80x3 or less color LCD because the usable device is limited by the size, cost, power, and the like. Therefore, simple display must be implemented within the limited display performance (resolution and area).
One example of the implementation is a so-called hierarchical menu wherein, instead of simultaneously displaying all the menus of one related operation, a limited number of menus are displayed in one window called a page which includes a menu for shifting to the next page or returning to the previous page by selecting and executing this menu.
As is well known, the electronic camera has a variety of functions, and the number of functions tends to increase even before the advent of the direct print function. In the prior art, the whole operation cannot be made simple even with various implementations.
In employing the direct print function, it is therefore very effective for technical significance to simplify operation and display and decrease the number of operation procedures.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic camera with good operability which facilitates identification of whether attendant data is superimposed on image data in printing.
According to the present invention, there is provided an electronic camera comprising an image sensing unit for sensing an image, a recording medium for storing an image file including image data obtained by the image sensing unit and attendant data, a reconstruction unit for reconstructing the image file from the recording medium and outputting the reconstructed image file to a printer, a display unit for displaying the image data and attendant data of the image file, a selection unit for selecting a first print mode of printing only the image data in printing by the printer, and a second print mode of superimposing and printing the attendant data on the image data in printing, and a control unit for selectively executing the first print mode and the second print mode in accordance with selection of the selection unit, wherein when the first print mode is selected, the control unit executes a first display mode of superimposing and displaying the attendant data of the image file on the image data for a predetermined period after start of display of the image file on the display unit, and displaying only the image data, and when the second print mode is selected, executes a second display mode of always superimposing and displaying the attendant data of the image file on the image data during display of the image file on the display unit.
In the electronic camera, the attendant data is data including at least one of a date and time.
In the electronic camera, in the first display mode, attendant data is superimposed and displayed on image data for a predetermined period in response to a predetermined operation, and then the display window returns to display of only the image in which no attendant data is superimposed on the image data.
According to the present invention, the first print mode of printing only image data in printing, or the second print mode of superimposing and printing attendant data on image data in printing is selected by the selection unit. When the first print mode is selected, the first display mode is set to superimpose and display the attendant data of an image file on the image data for a predetermined period after the start of display of the image file on the display, and to switch the display window to display of only the image data. When the second print mode is selected, the second display mode is set to always superimpose and display the attendant data of an image file on the image data during display of the image file on the display, and to print the image file by reconstructing an image file having the attendant data independently of the image data and outputting the image file to a printer.
The attendant data includes at least one of the date and the time.
In the first display mode, the attendant data is superimposed and displayed on the image data for a predetermined period in response to a predetermined operation, and then-the display window returns to display of only an image in which no attendant data is superimposed on the image data.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.